Knitting machinery



May 21, 1935. F. LAMBACH KNITTING MACHINERY Filed Dec. 28, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR T RNEY Patented MayZl, 1935 KNITTING MACHINERY Fritz Lambacnweehawken; N. 1., auignor to Robert Reiner, Inc., Weehawken, N. 1., a corporation of New Jersey Application December as, 1931, Serial No. 583,581

Claims.

The invention relates to improvements in knitting machines and more especially to a simple attachment which may be placed on any standard fiat or straight-bar knitting machine to fa- 5 cilitate the making of a lace work or lace mesh design over an entire stocking blank while the blank is being knit.

In accordance with present methods it is essential to provide a very complicated attachment to accomplish the satisfactory results applicant attains.

The invention contemplates an exceedingly simple device to be placed on the picot rod by means of which the longitudinal movement of the picot rod is accurately determined. The picot rod carries the conventional picot bars in which are mounted the fingers for cooperating with the frame needles.

Referring to the drawings in which one embodiment of the invention is illustrated:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary front elevation;

Figure 2 is an end view, the shafts being in section;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic development view; and

Figure 6 is a view on a reduced scale of the cam 21 shown in Fig. 2, and of the usual cam for raising and lowering the narrowing machine frame.

As the construction of a standard fiat knitting machine is well known only those parts of the machine relating directly to the invention are shown.

The reference numeral 5 designates the navrowing shaft which is mounted in bearings 6, a plurality of which are provided on a multiplesection machine. The narrowing shaft bearings carry the usual narrowing rods 1 to which the narrowing fingers are attached. The bearings also carry the picot rod 8 to which are secured the picot bars 9 having the customary fingers l0 secured therein, it being understood that one picot bar and its fingers are provided for each set of frame needles. The usual arms ll extend from the bearings 6 to conventional operating mechanism for raising and lowering the narrowing apparatus or frame and its associated parts. The parts described up to the present time are common and well knownin standard type fiat knitting machines.

The novel means for moving the picot bar longitudinally so as to properly position the fingers or points in relation to the frame needles will now be described.

Freely mounted on the picot rod and preferably adjacent one of the brackets i is a rotatable member l2. This member is prevented from longitudinal movement in relation to the picot rod 8. The means for doing this may be varied and in the present instance comprises a block l3 secured by screws I4 to the bearing 6 and having a nose which enters a shallow groove H5 in the rotatable member l2.

Ratchet teeth II are formed on the rotatable member p ii. The ratchet teeth are engaged by a pawl H which is pivoted at l8 to an arm l9 freely mounted in a groove 2|! formed in the 10- tatable member II. A spring 2| urges the pawl toward the ratchet teeth. The pawl is flattened at I1 and ll' and when in engagement with the ratchet teeth the spring 2| engages the face Il when thrown out of engagement with the teeth, the spring then engages the face ll Piv-- oted at 22 on the arm I! is an operating connection 23. As this operating connection is raised or the narrowing apparatus is lowered, the pawl will be retracted to engage another tooth of the ratchet, and when the operating connection is lowered or the narrowing mechanism raised the pawl will move the rotatable member in relation to the picot rod 8.

The operating connection 23 at its lower extremity is pivoted to a lever 24 which in turn is pivoted at 25 to some stationary part of the knitting machine frame. The lever 24 carries a cam roller 26 which engages a cam 21 fixed to the cam shaft 28. A spring 29 holds the cam roller 25 in engagement with the cam 26. A flexible connection 38 is interposed in the operating rod 23.

To prevent the rotatable member from overrunning and to insure its maintaining its position it is provided with a series of notches 3! which are engaged by a spring pressed plunger 32. The plunger 32 is mounted in ears 33 formed in a bracket suitably secured to the narrowing shaft 5. The spring 35 is interposed between the uppermost ear 33 and a collar 36 on the plunger. The plunger may be raised by a handle 31 when it is desired to relieve the spring to move the rotatable member by hand.

The rotatable member I! has a hub or boss 38 and formed on the face of the hub is a set of steps or faces 39. Secured by screws 40 to the picot rod 8, adjacent the rotatable member, is a collar ll. A finger I is fast to the collar 4! and this finger is adapted to engage the faces or steps 39 on the rotatable member. For purposes of adjustment'the finger 42 is slotted as shown at 43, a set screw 44 passing through this slot and threaded into the collar 4|. Another set screw 45 threaded into a boss 46 on the collar 4i and provided with a lock nut is utilized for adjusting purposes.

The relation of the lengths ofthe faces to each other is shown in'the development view of Figure 5. The picot rod is normally urged by a spring indicated at 41 in a direction to cause the finger 42 to engage the faces 39. As the rotatable member is rotated it will be apparent the successive faces will be presented to the finger 42, thus causing the picot bar to be moved longitudinally and position the points l0 over the proper frame needles to form the desired lace work design. The points or fingers Ill function iii the usual manner to transfer stitches from one frame needle to another.

As a matter of convenience the rotatable member is made in two parts, as shown particularly in Figure 4. If it is desired to change the lace work design the member carrying the ratchet teeth and hub 38 is removed and a different one substituted.

The operation of this device may be best understood from an inspection of Fig. 2 of the drawings taken in connection with the detail Fig. 6. Assuming a clockwise direction of rotation of the main cam shaft, and that the cams have moved slightly from their starting position, continued rotation of the cam shaft 28 will cause the narrowing machine to be depressed rapidly in the .usual manner to bring the fingers l0 into engagement with the needles to take the loops. At the same time, due to the contour of the cam .21, the operating connection 23 will be slightly lowered, but at a slower. rate than the narrowing machine, so that the pawl I! will be retracted to engage a new tooth of the ratchet IS. The narrowing machine is now moved upwardly with the continued rotation of the camshaft 28 to pick up or lift the loops off the needles, and to bring the points above the line of the sinkers. As the picot bars or points are raised above the sinker level, the operating connection 23 is moved downwardly by the operation of the cam follower 24, and operates to rotate the ratchet. I6 and face cam 39 to index the picot bars laterally into line with another set of needles. The narrowing machine is now again depressed to engage the fingers l0 and loops held thereon with the needles. and is finally returned again to the position shown in Fig. 2, leaving the loops on the needles. During the second downward movement of the narrowing machine above described, the pawl I1 is again retracted with relation to the ratchet Hi, this movement being caused by the downward movement of the narrowing machine while at the same time the operating connection 23 is carried upwardly by the rise of the follower 24 on the cam 21. During the final upward movement of the narrowing machine to the raised position indicated in Fig. 6, the narrowing machine frame moves upwardly with relation to the operating connection 23, so that the pawl I1 is again actuated to rotate the ratchet l6 and cam 39 to again index the picot bars or points laterally with relation to the needles in accordance with the contours of the face cam 29 preparatory for the beinning of another loop transferring operation.

While the contour of the'c'am 21 has been designed with relation .tofthe usual up and down movements of the narrowing frame to permit only .mally low movement of the frame II will serve merely to compress the spring 30 to shorten the operating connection 23.

Changes in details of construction and arrangement of parts may bemade by one skilled in the art and the drawings are to be considered as illustrative only of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A flat full-fashioned knitting machine vhaving, in combination with a series of needles, a cam shaft for the machine, a picot rod, picot bars supported thereon, a supporting frame for the picot rod arranged to swing about a fixed pivot to impart substantially vertical movements to said picot bars to cooperate with the needles, and a pattern mechanism for shifting said picot barswith relation to the needle series comprising a picot rod shifting cam supported on said frame for rotation to effect endwise movement of said picot rod, a ratchet secured to turn with said cam, a pawl mechanism supported on said frame for rotating the ratchet, a cam on the cam shaft, a cam follower, and an operating connection between said pawl mechanism and said cam follower rendered operative by the correlated vercan tical movements of the frame and of the follower toward and away from each other during a loop transfer operation to impart resetting and indexing movements to said pawl mechanism and ratchet.

2. A flat full-fashioned knitting machine having, in combination with a series of needles, a cam shaft for the machine, a-picot rod, picot .bars supported thereon, a supporting frame for the picot rod arranged to swing about a fixed .pivot to impart substantially vertical movements to said picot bars to cooperate with the needles, and a pattern mechanism for shifting said picot bars with relation to the needle series comprising a picot rod shifting cam supported on said frame for rotation to effect endwise movement of said picot rod, a ratchet secured to turn with said cam,

a pawl mechanism supported on said frame for rotating the ratchet, a cam on the cam shaft, a cam follower, and an operating connection between said pawl mechanism and said cam follower rendered operative by a downward movement of the frame during a loop transfer operation and by a correlated movement of the follower toward the frame to reset the pawl mechanism, and rendered operative by'the upward movement of the frame and by a correlated movement of the follower away therefrom to effect an indexing movement of said pawl mechanism and ratchet.

3. A fiat full-fashioned knitting machine having, in combination with a series of needles, a cam shaft for the machine, a picot rod, picot bars supported thereon, a supporting frame for the picot rod arranged to swingabout a pivot to impart substantially vertical movements to said picot bars to cooperate with the needleaand a pattern mechanism for shifting said picotbars with relation to the needle series comprising 'a facecammoantedonsaidframeforrotationw eifectanendwiaemovementofsaidpicotroda ratchet'seeured to turn withsaid cam, a pawl supported on said frame for rotatingtheratchet,aeamonth'ecamshaft,acam follower and an operating connection between said pawl and said cam follower rendered operative by the initial downward movement of the frame during a loop transfer operation to reset the pawl mechanism, by a subsequent rising of the frame and a correlated movement of the follower away therefrom to index the ratchet, by the subsequent depressing of the frame and correlated movement of the follower toward the frame to reset the pawl mechanism, and by the rise of the frame to inoperative position again picot rod arranged to swing about a fixed pivot to impart substantially vertical movements to said picot bars to cooperate with the needles, and a pattern mechanism for shifting said picot bars 7 with relation to the needle series comprising a face cam mounted on said ,frame for rotation to eifect an endwise movement of said picot rod, a ratchet secured t o.turn with said cam, a pawl mechanism pivoted on said frame concentricallywiththeratchet,acamonthe cam shaft, a cam follower, and a connecting link between said pawl and said cam follower rendered operative by the downward movement of the frame during a loop transfer operation to reset the pawl mechanism, and rendered operative by the upward movement of the frame and correlated movement of the follower away therefrom to effect an indexing movement of said pawl m and ratchet.

5. A flat full-fashioned knitting machine having, in combination with a series of needles, a cam shaft for the machine, a picot rod, picot bars supported thereon, a supporting frame for the picot rod arranged to swing about a fixed pivot to impart substantially vertical movements to said picot bars to cooperate with the needles, and

a pattern mechanism for shifting said picotbars "with relation to the needle series comprising a face cam mounted on said frame concentrically with said picot rod for rotation to elfect endwise movement of said plcot rod, a ratchet secured to turn with said face cam, a pawl mechanism from to effect an indexing movement of said pawl mechanism and ratchet.

FRI'IZ LAMBACH. 

